


Revising 4.11 "Heroes and Villains"

by Ael_tRlailiiu



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Canon Rewrite, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-20
Updated: 2014-12-20
Packaged: 2018-03-02 06:25:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2802749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ael_tRlailiiu/pseuds/Ael_tRlailiiu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Call this a labor of somewhat obsessive affection, if not actual love; I found enough problems with how this episode was structured that I decided to rewrite the damn thing. I left some scenes alone, changed a lot, deleted a few, and added some. The new stuff is pretty heavily Captain Swan- and Elsa-focused, since I felt that plot got short-changed rather badly in terms of closure. The first chapter goes into detail about some of the changes and my reasons; skip to Chapter 2 if you don't care.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Introduction

Deleted:

  * Most of the flashback scenes. The "let's kidnap Belle" plot only served to make the Queens look ineffectual, and didn't give us anything new or interesting about Rumple or Belle. We can get to know them in 4b.
  * The scene between Belle and Henry in the shop, because I will not accept “forward plot motion by means of something falling off a shelf” from a so-called professional writing team. The gauntlet did get used, but was discovered differently.
  * The scene between Emma and Killian in Granny's. This was a “kill your darlings” moment, as that scene was brilliantly acted, but served no purpose in the plot.
  * The pre-wedding scene in Arendelle. Again, it was lovely, but violently out of place in an episode that was otherwise entirely focused on Storybrooke events.
  * Some dialog that I felt was clunky. YMMV.



Moved:

  * The Frozen farewell scene closer to the end, so they got to participate in the resolution, with major resulting changes.
  * The scene with Emma and Regina doing shots to the following day, with very few changes.
  * Some of the Marian scenes forward in the scene order.



Added:

  * A fair amount of dialog to address continuity problems.
  * A new version of finding out what Rumple is doing.
  * A new version of the confrontation in the clock tower that incorporates an actual fight.
  * A Captain Swan love scene (hence the rating).



And I changed the final line from “everyone” to “you” because _some people_ obviously do not deserve a happy ending right now *cough*Rumple*cough*.

The major changes pick up starting from the official version's scene at the portal to Arendelle, but in the hope of making it more readable, I included the whole thing.


	2. The Episode

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The full text of episode 4.11 (transcribed using closed captioning) with changes. For scenes marked as minor changes, I can go through and indicate which lines are changed if people want, but it's mostly clean-up of obvious errors (cannibalism, for example, being not particularly rare among marine life, as a five-second Web search could have told them).

### 1\. Ice Wall (Minor Additions)

“Wow, that is a lot of ice,” Anna said, craning her neck to look up at the wall. The Arendelle visitors, David, Mary Margaret, Emma, and Hook had trekked out to look at it after reports came back that the wall was still in place.

“Shouldn't this have gone away when Ingrid died?” Mary Margaret asked. “I thought, after Zelena...?”

“Maybe ice magic is different. More permanent?” Emma shrugged. “I'm no expert, but most of the magic I've seen doesn't _create_ stuff on this scale.”

“Regardless—it's time for this to come down.” Elsa raised her hands. It sounded like an avalanche, but the snow vanished as it fell. Moments later, the wall was gone.

“Okay. Now can we go back home?” Anna all but skipped forward.

“Wait! Don't take another step.” Emma reached for her. “That's the town line.”

Anna looked puzzled. “Right. But I want to leave the town. Didn't I just say that?”

“The wall may be down, but I sense that some of Ingrid's magic remains.” She walked past Anna, put out a hand and probed the barrier she couldn't see. “Leaving this town has never been simple, and Ingrid, she didn't change things. She wanted to be alone here with you and me; she wanted to make Storybrooke her ice castle. And clearly she wanted to protect it.”

“So how do we get back home?”

“Walking wouldn't get us there anyway,” Elsa reminded her. “We're in a different realm.”

“We need to find a portal,” Emma said. “Or magic beans. Or... something. Didn't the necklace bring you here?”

Kristoff coughed. “Okay, now I'm lost.”

“I think that only works once. Then let's get one of those things, we have to hurry!” Anna looked from one to the other of them.

“No, we don't need to rush.” Elsa made a calming gesture. “We need to be careful. Arendelle will still be there while we figure this out.”

“It might not—did we forget to tell her?” She looked at Kristoff.

He looked defensive. “A lot of stuff was going on.”

“Tell me what?” Elsa asked.

Anna took a breath. “Arendelle's been conquered by Hans and his twelve brothers.”

“Emma? We need to find our way back. Now.”

“We'll do our best,” Emma promised. Just when you think the day has finally been saved... never a day off. When she started to ask Killian if he had any ideas, he had disappeared.

### 2\. The Shop (Minor Subtractions)

Hook tried to fight, for all the good it did. It would have been funny to have Gold saunter off across the line without knowing the consequences. The words dragged themselves out into the stippled shadows of the pawnshop.

“They didn't leave. The Snow Queen mucked up the border. Once you cross there's no—coming back.”

On the far side of the counter, Gold relaxed his grip a trifle and lowered the heart he held. “If only the Snow Queen had succeeded. Everything would be much simpler.”

The pain eased enough that he could breathe. “Yes, perfect cover for your exit. But everybody survived. Sorry for the inconvenience.” The only delight left to him in the world was the Crocodile's vexation, and he was going to savor that right until it killed him.

“What about our friends from Arendelle?” Gold looked thoughtful.

“Well, they're still searching for a portal back.”

“Well, that is a problem. Can't have that Anna running around town.”

There could be only one reason why Anna might matter right now. “She knows, doesn't she.” He smiled when Gold looked away. “She knows what you were doing, cleaving yourself from the dagger so you can leave with your power. Emma told me, Belle confessed about knowing Anna.”

“Still. Quite the supposition.”

“Why else would you care? Anna's a danger to you. You can't have your _blissfully ignorant_ wife lose either her ignorance or her bliss.” He bit out the words, aware of Belle's unnatural slumber just in the next room.

Gold appeared to reach a decision. “Watch Anna. Make sure she comes nowhere near this shop.”

“But if I had the choice—”

“Well you don't.” His voice sharpened. “Your usefulness was unexpectedly extended. But tonight, when the stars in the sky align with with stars on the sorcerer's hat? I will finally do what I should have done so many years ago.”

“And while I'm out doing your dirty work, what are you gonna do?”

Gold laughed. “I'm going to wake my wife and prepare her for her greatest gift. She's gonna have the life she always wanted.”

### 3\. The Dark Castle, Many Years Ago (Minor Changes)

In the silent hall of the Dark Castle, Belle threw open the cabinet she had been eying for weeks and surveyed the treasures within. A sword on a high shelf caught her glance; she reached up for it.

“Don't cut yourself, dearie,” the master said.

She jumped, gasped, and nearly dropped the blade. “I am so, so sorry. I thought—” She turned around and drew herself up in a more dignified fashion.

“You thought I would be away for a few more days, and it would be fine to play with... toys.” He advanced toward her with one of his giggles.

“Well, you did say that—”

“Oh, I lied.” He smiled and wandered about as he spoke. “I wanted to see how the mouse would play while the cat was away. And the mouse has done very little... cleaning.” He ran a disapproving finger through the dust on the table.

“You have so many things here, from all over the world. I was curious. And you never talk about them.”

“Well... you're the help.” He rounded on her with a bemused expression.

“And you'r rude,” she snapped, shaking a finger in his scaled face for emphasis.

“Well, I could be much worse. Hmmm?” He bared his teeth.

“But you're not.” His threats no longer frightened her as they once had. She followed him a few steps, gave up and sat on the table. “Look, you have seen the world. Something that I have always wanted to do. Yet you share nothing.”

He chuckled. “Mouthy, mouthy! And foolishly brave.”

“No. If you were going to kill me, you would have done it long ago. Now tell me what you've seen.” She watched his expression change, the mask of contempt fall away into something less certain. “How was your trip to Camelot?”

The mask went back on, the toothy grin reappeared. “Good for me, not so good for Camelot.” He turned away; a puff of red smoke appeared and dissipated, left him holding a metal gauntlet. “A souvenir. Clean it for me, will you?”

“Oh. What is it?” She checked it for bloodstains.

“A magic gauntlet, with a very specific power. It can locate anyone's greatest weakness.”

“Hm. How ominous. But why do you need this?” She looked around the room. “With all your power, you could destroy any foe.”

“Look, if you must know, it's about manipulation.” There it was—he did _like_ to talk, to display himself and all of his knowledge; he only pretended not to. “And for that, you must find one's weakness. And for almost everyone, that weakness is the thing they love most. This will simply point me in the right direction.”

“You know, I think I do know why you collect so many things,” she said, daring. “You have a hole in your heart, and you're trying to fill it.”

Rumplestiltskin looked at her, a tiny smile playing around the edge of his expression. “The only thing missing from my life is clean clothes.”

Belle found herself outdoors with the washing up she had off doing to investigate the cabinets in the warm. “Beast,” she muttered as she set to work. At least he had given he a cloak when he sent her out this time. He was not nearly so heartless as he liked to pretend.

### 4\. The Shop (No Changes)

Gold looked at Belle, sleeping her enchanted sleep—less enchanted than some he had seen, fortunately. He brushed her cheek, tickled her into wakefulness. She laughed, stirred, and sat up.

“Whoa. Breakfast in bed?” She surveyed the tray he had placed nearby.

He straightened. “I have a much bigger surprise coming for you.” When she looked up at him, uncertain, he knelt back down. “I think it's about time we had a proper honeymoon. How would you like to see a magical city called New York?” He remembered New York. This time would be different. It was time to bury those memories, like he had so many others before. He would have nothing to fear there now.

She blinked and smiled.

“So after breakfast, pack a suitcase. It's time for you to see the world.”

Belle reached for his hand, still smiling.

Soon. Everything would be ready, and there would be no reason for them to ever want to return. The world awaited.

### 5\. Regina's Vault, Diner (No Changes)

Regina took Marian's heart out of the box and looked down at its owner. With the Snow Queen gone, the frost had faded; she would be safe now from the curse.

Of course, that was how things would go.

She placed the heart in position and returned it with a practiced push. Marian's eyes flew open; she gasped and looked around in alarm—until her gaze lighted on Robin.

“Oh!” Marian got up and threw her arms around him. His closed around her more slowly.

Regina looked away.

  
  


Later, in Granny's, she sat with her arms crossed, ignoring both breakfast and her memories, but when someone sat next to her she managed a polite, “Please, I'd rather be alone.”

“I thought we should talk,” Marian said.

Regina looked up, startled.

The other woman smiled. “Thank you for saving my life. Twice, actually.”

She mustered an answering... expression. “Forget about it.”

“I can't. Because Robin can't.”

Ah, it was going to be that talk, after all. Of course. Had to twist the knife, didn't she.

Marian no longer smiled. “I see the way you two look at one another. And I understand.” She paused. “For me, it's only a short time that I've been away. But for him, years have passed. His heart moved on. He's in love with you, Regina. And I think that you're in love with him.”

Her own smile went sharp and bitter. “Well, it doesn't really matter. He's a man of honor. He made a vow to you, and he's going to keep it.” Except for that one time.

“I don't want him to be with me out of obligation. I want to be chosen. If his heart leads him to me, fine. But if it does what I suspect and leads to you... I will step out of the way.”

Astonished, Regina could make no answer to this. A moment later, Marian left.

### 6\. The Mansion (Minor Changes)

By the time the damned animate broomstick led them up the mansion steps, Killian had had quite enough of the Crocodile's cheerful needling.

“You may have gotten the best of me this time, Dark One. I will yet have the satisfaction of seeing you in hell.”

Gold chuckled. “Given my immortality—enjoy the wait.” They followed their guide into the ballroom.

“Whose house is this? You seem oddly fond of it.”

“A powerful sorcerer. He brought the Snow Queen from Arendelle to this world, which means his magic is strong enough to move between that world and ours.”

Stronger than yours, then, he didn't say aloud. Much good the fact would do in his final hours, but interesting. Perhaps someone would yet find a way to rid the worlds of this creature.

“There's a portal around here somewhere. We simply need to find it.”

The broom bustled to the middle of the room and waved its spindly arms as if feeling for something. A heavy wooden doorframe appeared, decorated by simple painted hearts and flowers that said _Arendelle_ to any seasoned traveler. Somewhere on the far side was a world he would never see again.

### 9\. Pond (Moved Forward; No Changes)

Regina watched Roland and his mother near the old mill-pond. “They look happy.”

“Having Marian back in his life, it means so much to Roland.” On the bench beside her, Robin sat leaning forward, his elbows braced on his knees. Marian glanced back as if she had heard her name, a basket of bread in one hand, for the the ducks.

“At the end of the day, our children come first.” She gestured helplessly and clasped her hands together.

“Regina?” He turned to her.

“She's his mother.”

“I choose you.”

Regina gave a light, disbelieving laugh, but it fell away into silence before his expression. She looked at Marian, back at him. “But... but Roland. What would this look like to him?”

Robin followed her glance to his family. “It's gonna look like a messy, complicated situation. Which it is. But if I went back to my life with Marian, I'd be living a lie. The best example I can set for my son is to live truthfully – to follow my heart. To you.” He fished the storybook page out of his pocket and unfolded it, might-have-been or never-was. She smiled at the image of their missed kiss.

“Papa! Papa, help!” Roland shouted. “Help, papa!”

Marian lay motionless on the grass. By the time they reached her, white streaked her hair again; frost coated her lips.

“I thought she was cured!” Robin touched her cheek.

“There must be some remnant of the spell still inside her.” Regina checked her hand and found it cold. “Even by now, her heart could be infected.”

“So there's no hope?” He looked up as Regina stood.

“There may be another way to save her. Now that the ice wall is down, she could leave Storybrooke. She can cross the town line and enter a world without magic. Without magic, the harm to her would end.”

“So let's get to the town line!” He bent down as if to pick Marian up.

“Robin, you need to know something.” She touched his arm as he straightened again. The news had spread quickly. “It's a one-way trip. There's a curse on the town line, and once you leave, that's it.”

“So you're saying—”

“I'm saying that we can't just send Marian into an unknown world. Someone has to go with her.” She forced the words out. “You and Roland. And once you do go, you can never come back.”

She watched the hope drain from his eyes.

### 10\. Phone Call (Replaces Scene in Diner)

Emma sat in a booth at Granny's with the Arendelle Three, considering every method they knew of creating portals, when her new phone rang.

Emma fumbled it out of her pocket. “Killian. Hi.”

“Swan? Marvelous news. I've saved the day yet again.”

“Okay... glad to hear it. How, exactly?”

“The portal to Arendelle. I found it.”

“You... found a portal?” Across the table, Anna's eyes lit up. Emma made a calming motion.

“Well, I found Gold, and he told me where to locate one. A door in the ballroom of that mansion. It appears that our Rumplestiltskin has turned over a new leaf.”

She opened her mouth, closed it again, and managed to say, “Apparently dozens of leaves. Are you sure we can trust him?”

“The Crocodile truly has changed. He gave me a long-winded explanation about a... portal. About how it brought the Snow Queen into this land. Which I don't recall.”

“Well, that's great.” She hesitated. “Are you okay?” The cadence of his voice was all off, the crisp precision gone from his consonants.

“Fine. The important thing is that it works. All they have to do is walk through it. Tell you what, I'll meet you up there later, shall I?”

“Sounds good.” She glanced around the table, got up and moved away for a bit more privacy. “Look—what is wrong? You sound really strange.”

“I'm fine.”

“You don't sound like yourself. At all.”

“It's none of your concern. I'll see you later... love.” He disconnected.

  
  


In the clock tower, Gold smiled and lowered the heart that had no choice but to echo his words. Pity he hadn't time to work out a means to bottle its owner's impotent rage. The memories would have to suffice.

“Now then. I have one additional errand, for which you are not required. Wait here, and don't move.” He glanced out the window at the serene sky. “I won't be long.”

### 11\. Town Line Farewell (No Changes)

Regina sat in her car and watched Robin giving Will Scarlet last-minute instructions. Marian slumped beside him, barely keeping on her feet, Roland small and bewildered beside her. A few of the Merry Men looked on.

The passenger door opened. Gold climbed in.

“I hate good-byes, don't you?” he said.

She didn't bother to disguise her tears. “If you've come here to gloat, I'm really not in the mood. What do you want?'

“Belle and I are taking a trip. I've come to bid you farewell.”

“Have you been under a rock all day?” She laughed harshly. “There's a curse on the town line. If you leave, you can never come back.”

“Hence the good-bye,” he said quietly. “But before I go, could you pass something on to my grandson? Tell him I'll miss him, and his charming attempts at snooping around my shop.”

“You knew.”

“Oh, I knew. Perhaps you can tell me why.”

She put on a false smile. “He was looking for the impossible—my happy ending. The storybook has me written as a villain, and villains always lose, so....” She shrugged. “He thought you might have a clue as to who the author is, so I can make him change that.” This was Gold; she did not have to pretend that she would _ask_.

“Intriguing idea.” He considered it. “But alas, I've no clue as to his identity.”

“I know. Villains don't get happy endings.”

“It would appear in your case that that's true.”

“You and Belle seem.. content. How were you able to get one?”

“Because I took it. And quite frankly, you should, ah, stop moping and do the same thing. I mean if this Marian died,” he gestured toward the scene before them as Robin and Will embraced, “all would be well, would it not?”

Regina shook her head. “That's no longer me.”

“Being good doesn't mean good things will happen.”

She gave him a curious look. “This sounds like the old Rumplestiltskin talking. I thought you changed.”

“More like evolved.” He didn't look at her. “Coming back from the dead and being a slave to the Wicked Witch tends to do that to you. But if you don't think villains can get happy endings, just watch me take one.” Now he turned toward her. “There's no author of my fate, no storybook with my destiny. I've been a villain a thousand times over, and yet—I'm about to get everything I desire.” He took her hand. “As unbelievable as it sounds, I want the same for you.” He tightened his hold for a moment, then released her, got out and walked away into the mist.

Regina looked at the small, desperate family out there at the town line, and for a moment her vision clouded over; then it cleared. She got out and walked over with a brisk stride.

“The diner I told you about it just a few miles down the road.”

“Right. Ah, Regina—”

“And you have the map I gave you?”

He nodded.

“And the money, so that should be plenty to get you started.”

“Yes but—”

“Good.” She nodded, too. “Then you should go.”

“Thank you.”

Behind him, Marian shuddered, holding her cloak tight in one shaking hand. He stepped to her side as she swayed.

“She needs to cross the line, now,” Regina said.

“Okay, you guys, go. I'll be right behind you, I promise, I just—I just need a moment, okay?” He glanced at Regina, back to Marian.

She nodded. “Of course. Thank you,” she said to Regina through her cold, cracked lips. Then she took Roland's hand and turned to the border. They stepped through.

From the Storybrooke side, Regina could see her straighten as the curse fell away, saw her smile down at Roland, hear her laugh of relief and his excited, “Mama!” before she picked him up. Then Marian turned back to the line.

“Robin?”

“Your family is waiting,” Regina told him. “Go.”

He stepped away, hesitated. She looked down. He stepped back, took her face in his hands and kissed her.

“I—” His voice broke.

“I know.”

He took her hand, held it while he stepped back, across the line, and was gone.

“Papa!” Roland chirped. Robin swept him up, still looking back for a moment at what he could no longer see or touch. Then he turned away, put his arm around his wife, and the three of them walked away.

Regina put her hands in her pockets and found something there; the folded page from the storybook. She opened it up and without looking at it ripped into pieces, let them fall from her hand as she walked away from the line.

### 12\. Search (New)

Emma called Killian back; he didn't answer. She called again, and this one went straight to voice mail.

“I didn't think he even knew how to turn that thing off.” She looked around the diner, chewing her lower lip. “Okay. So it sounds like there's a way for you guys to get back, up in the house where... I was going to give up my magic the other day. So we should go take a look?”

“You don't sound happy about it,” Elsa said.

“It's not that.” She frowned at her phone. “I know you guys are in a hurry to get back, but this is... weird. As in, completely unlike him. And it's not even the first weird thing today.” That kiss last night—but then he had said nothing to her in the morning, hadn't offered any comment at all about Ingrid's spell, or her sacrifice. He had out and out vanished from the gathering at the town line, which ought to be impossible for six feet of black leather. “With everything that's been going on around here—curses and memory lapses and wandering monsters and Ingrid's spells not all going away with her like we thought they would....”

“We can spare another hour,” Elsa assured her with a smile. “I would hate to leave you so worried. Where should we look?”

“He's usually in here or down by the waterfront.” Emma got up and headed for the door. No. He was usually _with her_.

“But there is a portal?” Anna said, keeping pace once they were all outside. “And he just—found it? Is he a wizard?”

“Hook? God, no.” Emma snorted. “It was Gold who found it.” Gold. Killian had made a deal with him. Had he been acting odd that night? A little tense, but not like this. She had been distracted by Ingrid and her own history for the past week, but there must have been something. “I guess we can check with him, too, if we don't find anything. Been doing an awful lot of that lately.”

“Interesting name. But everyone here seems to have such interesting names, and at least two or three of them. I don't know how you remember them all.”

“You get used to it.”

“Does this Gold person have another one? Maybe he's somebody we know.”

“Rumplestiltskin,” Emma said. Still trying to pin down when things had gotten odd, she didn't notice that Anna had stopped walking.

“Rumple.. stiltkin?” Anna's eyes were wide. “The evil lizard-looking... person? Sorcerer?”

“I see you've met his reputation. He's—”

“No. No, I mean, I didn't meet his—I met _him_. In Misthaven. Back before we... came here, he—well, it's kind of a long story and maybe not really relevant right now. Unless it is, you never know. I didn't think that old diary was relevant and now—”

“What?” Emma stopped, too. “He said he didn't know you. That he didn't know anything about you or Elsa. I was right there, he—Belle used the dagger to make sure he was telling the truth!”

“He was lying,” Anna said firmly. “I've seen that funny knife of his, and trust me, I'm never going to forget it _or_ him. He just didn't want anyone to know I got the best of him, I bet.”

“You did?” Emma closed her open mouth. “That... that just might be it, now that you mention it. Change of plans. Shop first. Anna, you and Kristoff check down by the docks, just in case.”

“Okay.” They headed off in that direction. Emma turned toward the shop.

Elsa gathered her skirts and caught up with her. “What do you think he might be up to? Gold, that is.”

“I have no idea. But he and Hook go way back, and none of it's good.” What did you really deal for, dammit.

### 14\. Clock Tower (Minor Changes)

“When the stars on the hat align with those in the sky, we shall begin.”

“You mean I shall end? Let's not start mincing our words now.”

Gold studied his old foe with a smile. “I half-expected you to crumble at the precipice of your demise.”

“I'm not the one who's a coward.”

“I could _make_ you beg.”

“You could. We both know that's the only way.”

“You know, this really is long overdue.” He took hold of the heart and waved at the old tower's ceiling. A rusty mechanism squeaked to life, opening the observatory dome. A crescent moon glimmered in the afternoon sky.

### 16\. The Shop (New)

Emma slammed the shop door open so hard the bell's jingle was lost. “We need to see Gold. Right now.”

“He's—he's not here,” Belle said, pausing her efforts to close an enormous suitcase. “What—”

“ _Summon_ him.”

Belle's lips tightened. “You can't just barge in here all the time and make demands, you know, and—and I can't just—”

Emma put her hands on the counter. “This may be a life or death emergency, and it's going to be his if I'm right.”

“Please,” Elsa said more calmly. “I'm sorry, but we really must see him.”

Belle hesitated a moment longer, then nodded. “I—all right.” She fetched the dagger.

Emma gave it a hard look. She couldn't see anything different about it, but then she looked at Belle, at the hesitation and the misery in her expression. “That's not it, is it.”

“I don't—”

“It's not. Try it.”

Belle held up the knife. “I—I summon thee, Dark One.”

Nothing happened.

“I knew it. Son of a bitch lied right to my—damn it!” Emma looked around the shop. “We have to find him. I'm pretty sure he's with Killian, and I'm pretty sure they are not having a friendly chat about the good old days. Do you have any more locator potion?”

Belle bit her lip, nodded, and set down the useless knife. “Yes, but—he never leaves anything of his around that it could be used on. There might be something else.”

“What is it? _Hurry_.”

“A—a glove, I remember it from—from the castle. A metal gauntlet.” She described its dimensions with her hands. “But I don't know where he keeps it.”

“Then we'll find it.” She started in on the nearest shelves.

“You were packing,” Elsa said as they searched. “When we, uh, interrupted you.”

“Yes.” Belle rummaged through another shelf. “We're—we were... um, going on our honeymoon.” She gave a little laugh. “To New York, if you must know.”

“But there's a spell on the town line. Anyone who leaves cannot return.”

“I—what? That's....” What remained of the color left her face. “I see.”

“You knew,” Emma said over her shoulder. “That it was a fake. For how long.”

“I—I don't know. I think I did know. For a long time now. I didn't want to.” Belle dashed away angry tears and slammed a box down on the counter. “That wretched mirror. Shows you the worst. But it didn't _lie_.”

They kept searching. Emma with very little care for what got damaged along the way, Elsa with more precision; she found the glove in the bottom of a locked steamer trunk in the front room, under a tapestry and a statue of a dragon.

Belle took it from her. “This is the one. This might work.”

### 15\. Clock Tower (Major Changes)

The machinery of the clock muttered to itself. Killian watched the daylight sky darken through the open dome.

Gold waved the dagger over the hatbox and smiled as it disgorged its contents. He set down the dagger and sent the hat floating upward. Near the ceiling it transformed, grew insubstantial and expanded to fill the dome.

Stars by the hundreds lay scattered across a gauzy veil. Knowing that each of those lights was a life extinguished, or about to be, he couldn't look at it for long.

“It's time,” Gold said. The energy field expanded with a sound like distant thunder, reaching downward, filling the upper half of the room, reaching toward its new... home? Its new master?

May the owner come and find you someday, Crocodile. Killian could do nothing but brace himself, and know that at least it would be quick. I'm sorry, Emma.

  
  


“Emma, I don't know if I can do this.” Elsa flexed her hands; ice crystals fell around her.

“You have to. We have to.” Even from the street she could sense the power gathered in the clock tower. There had been little time to make a plan. She glanced across the street at her parents and waved, saw her father's answering gesture. They did not like staying back from the action. With so much magic involved, there was little for them to do but be ready in case everything went wrong.

Emma led the way through the doors and raised the gate to the tower steps. She missed her gun, would have liked a sword, something she could hold, something she could _hit_ with.

“...This next part, I'm really gonna enjoy,” Gold said.

Emma saw him, saw the alien sky, and for a terrified moment no one else. Then she spotted Killian in the shadows, doubled over in pain. Just as it had with Cora, the power rushed out of her on primal emotion, focused on the hand that held his heart. White light filled the lower half of the tower. She held Gold immobile, but already felt him moving against her, tightening his grip to kill.

Elsa moved up the stairs beside Emma. Frost coated the steps behind them. Ice shards flew from her hands, reached out from the walls, the floor, the ceiling. They burned away, vanished into puffs of steam before they could strike Gold.

Killian, bless him, got down out of their line of fire.

Emma reached out for Elsa. “I can't—” She could feel Gold's power crawling over her, a vicious whisper in her ears, sapping her surety, weakening her efforts to hold him still. Her friend gripped her hand.

“We can.”

They made it to the top of the stairs. It wasn't just his own power. Emma had seen that when Zelena controlled him. He had been strong then, but nothing like this, a wave about to come down and crush them all as soon as he found a way through. They could only hold him for a moment more.

A moment was all they needed.

Too late, Gold saw that the two of them were not all that he faced. He lunged toward the table.

Emma yelled, “Elsa!” They hit him from both sides, ice and light. He swatted them both aside like they were nothing, but by the time he had done that, Belle had the dagger.

“Drop it! The heart. Drop it,” she said.

With a furious grimace, he did as Belle commanded. Still glowing, still intact, it fell into Killian's hand.

“Now you can take us to the town line,” she told her husband. “Because we need to be alone for what comes next.”

They vanished in a swirl of red smoke.

### 16\. Town Line (Minor Changes)

They appeared at the edge of town, as she had commanded.

“Belle, what are you doing?”

“Finally facing the truth.” Her voice shook, but her hand was steady as she held the knife between them.

“No, please. Put the dagger down and let me explain.”

“No! It's my turn to talk. I thought I saw something in you, something good. And I thought you saw something in me. Today I used that old gauntlet you had, and that's when I-I finally understood all the signs I had been seeing, that I told myself meant nothing—I realized the truth. That you would never give up power for me, Rumple. You never have. You never will.”

“Y-Y-You don't understand!” He reached for her as the knife drifted downward.

“No!” She raised it again. “You told me that gauntlet could lead to someone's weakness. Well, you know where it led me, Rumple? To the real dagger. Your true love is your power.”

“I like the power,” he admitted. “But there's nothing wrong with power. Not when it means that I—that we—that we can have it all.”

She stifled a sob. “I just wanted you. I wanted to be chosen, not... I tried to be everything for you, Rumple. But I wasn't. And I-I lost my way, trying to help you find yourself. Not anymore.” She shook her head.

“Please, Belle. I-I'll make it up to you. I've changed once before, I can do it again.”

Her laugh broke apart on more tears. “You've never changed.”

“Please.” He reached for her, trembling, but she shook her head.

“It's too late. Once I saw the man behind the beast, but now there's only a beast.” She blinked hard once, raised the knife again and walked forward, forcing him back. “Rumplestiltskin, I command you to leave Storybrooke.”

“Belle, no, please. I won't be able to come back!”

“I know,” she choked out.

“I don't want to lose you.”

She shook her head again, her expression twisting, anger blended with the grief. “You already have.”

“Belle, please.” He looked over his shoulder, then back at her. “I'm afraid.”

She forced him the final step, past the line, and turned away as the curse took hold, as his power left him, as he fell in the road.

“No! Belle! Belle, please!”

She walked away.

### 17\. Clock Tower (New)

The light in Killian's heart moved around slowly between the dark area, like it had independent life.

“Hey. You okay?” Emma touched his shoulder, flinched as she did it. “Are you hurt? Other than that, I mean?”

He shook himself. “Not hurt. Thank you.”

“Good.” She looked at David. “You and Elsa stay here, in case Gold comes back. They went to the town line. I just want to make sure Belle's all right, and this ends now.”

“But she's got the dagger,” David said. “He can't hurt her. She'll be fine.”

“Really? You really think after _this_ she's going to be fine?” Emma glanced at her mother. “We'll just go and make sure, and be back as soon as we can.”

There was his Swan. The two women ran down the stairs. A car started outside. Inside the clock tower, the stars began to fade.

“Is that... really...?” Elsa looked at his heart with horrified fascination.

“Aye.”

“How is that possible?”

“It's a kind of magic we have in our land,” David said. “If you take someone's heart, you can... well, you can control them, really. Make them do whatever you want. Or kill them.”

“That's horrible. I've never heard of anything like it.” Elsa shivered and turned toward the hat.

“Stay away from it,” Killian snapped.

“Why? What it is?” She turned back, startled.

“It's a hat.” He finally got himself moving, and didn't even shake off David's solicitous hand.

Her expression turned wry. “Yes, I can see that. I sense a great deal of magic here.”

“It's a... reservoir, of sorts. It sucks in people, beings who have magic. Every one of those stars—he was going to take all that power for his own. He would no longer be under the dagger's control, and he would still have magic if he left Storybrooke.”

“This whole time, he was....? Damn.” David's phone rang. He had a brief conversation. “That was Emma. Belle sent Gold over the town line. So much for ultimate power. They're on their way back with her now.” He glanced toward Killian's heart. “Do you want someone to, um...?”

“If it's all the same to you, I'll wait until one of the experts is available.”

“Don't blame you.” He looked at the hat, then up at the sky. “It's fading?”

“The stars are moving out of alignment. Once it's back in its box, the thing appears to be quite safe.”

“But when it's out, it just hoovers up magic people?” David looked like he was in the grip of a realization as he watched the hat fold itself. “People like... Emma?”

“That was his original intent. It failed.”

“Just when did he take your heart?”

“That same night. I tried to go and warn her when I realized what he had planned.”

“Her and... oh, God. The fairies?” He looked at the box with fresh horror. “He put them in there? Are they dead?”

“I've no idea. That was... my doing.” And this was the price for his own life, that look on David's face.

“What?!”

“But you couldn't stop him,” Elsa said. “You said,” she looked at David, “that one can make you do whatever they want you to.” Her eyes were wide. “That's even worse! Why would he do such a thing?”

“He has his reasons,” Killian said. “It's a long story.”

“Well.” David scooped up the hatbox, back to his old self. “They don't matter now. He's gone.”

### 18\. Diner (Minor Changes)

Emma cradled his heart in both hands, the most beautiful thing she never wanted to see again.

“Just be gent—” Killian started to say

She gave one sharp push and looked up to make sure he was okay, her hand still in place. “Sorry. I just thought if I did it quickly, it would be like ripping off—mph.”

His mouth came down hard on hers, his hand cushioning her head as he backed her against the wall. Her hand slipped down his chest, under his coat, around his back; the other stayed on his chest, the _thud_ under her hand mirroring the one that sounded in her ears. Alive, both of them, and not lost after all. They didn't come up for air until they had to.

“Told you, Swan. I'm a survivor.”

With his nose bumped up against hers, she couldn't help but smile. “That's much better.” Savoring the taste of him, he had to drag her gaze up from from his lips. “You sure you're okay now?”

“Right as rain, love, why?”

“Then we can both go and say good-bye to our friends from Arendelle. They have a kingdom to re-take, and I think they're getting a little antsy.”

“I see.” He hesitated, tongue touching his lower lip in a distracting fashion. “What if I had answered differently?”

“Then I guess we would both be staying.”

“That so?” His voice dropped.

“Absolutely.” She reminded herself that they were in public. “If you think I'm letting you out of my sight for at least a week, you've got a screw loose.”

“Swan, that's....” He visibly edited whatever he had been about to say and grinned. “Entirely correct, we ought to go and wish them godspeed. Together. Why would I ever object to spending time with you?”

“I dunno, 'cause you're contrary?” She grabbed his hand and tugged him toward the door. “Let's go. And then we can came back and celebrate.”

“As you wish.”

### 19\. Return to Arendelle (Moved; Minor Changes)

“This place is amazing,” Henry said as they walked through the first floor of the mansion. “Mom, I''ll be right back.”

“Hey, kid, wait,” Emma said as he jogged into the adjoining room toward an enormous free-standing doorway.

“Well Emma, I think this is it,” Mary Margaret said.

“Crocuses!” Anna left off her conversation with Belle and rushed forward. “Arendelle crocuses! Oh Elsa, we're almost home!”

“Maybe I should open it,” Emma said. “Magic can be unpredictable.”

“Good idea. Thank you for taking such good care of my sister,” Anna said.

“It's kind of what we do.”

Mary Margaret said, “It's our pleasure.” She looked at the door. “Now, don't you all have a kingdom to go save?”

“We sure do. I hope Hans isn't too comfortable on that throne, 'cause I'm gonna knock him right off the minute we get back.”

Kristoff coughed. “And the second minute we're back, maybe we could get married? Just a thought.”

“Minute and a half,” Anna promised.

“You should never have waited,” Elsa said with a shake of her head.

“You're my sister!” Anna half-laughed, half-sighed. “I had to. I could hardly walk down the aisle and be happy unless you were, too.”

“Well, I am now. Happy.” Elsa blinked back her tears and turned to Emma. “So this is it.”

“Appears so.”

“Thank you for everything. You and—and your family—you've done so much, I could never repay you.” They hugged; she kept hold of Emma's hands for a moment as she stepped away, then dropped them as she straightened her shoulders. “It's time.”

Emma opened the door; a golden shimmer filled it. Elsa stepped through as if she hoped to find Hans' whole army waiting and ready for her to dispatch them. Anna and Kristoff joined hands and followed; Anna turned back and waved just before they vanished.

The doors closed behind them, gold and blue and solid.

### 20\. Going Home (New)

Killian didn't want to talk about it. Emma didn't want to talk about it, but just like ripping off that bandage, it needed to be done. She pulled the car over halfway through drive and said, "Let's walk." They were both tired, but she thought it might feel less like an interrogation. When he was done, she couldn't think of anything to say other than, “So that's what happened to that phone.”

“I'm sorry.”

“I know. Me, too. I should have—”

“None of this affair was your fault.”

“I'm not mad.” She said it with some surprise, taking her own measure, stopped walking and turned to face him. They had reached the outskirts of town, where faint moonlight and streetlight met. “I know a lot about bad decisions, believe me. Nobody would have expected what happened today. I'm just... I don't know. It never lets up here, does it. But I'm trying. With the... the moments, thing.” She took a breath. “Yesterday I got back a part of my life I never even knew was missing, and now she's gone again. And that's complicated. And Elsa has her kingdom to save, and I certainly know how that feels, but....”

“But she's your friend.”

“Yeah. And then today. Everything has been so fast.” She took his hand, twined their fingers together palm to palm as she looked up at him. “Still feel like celebrating?”

“I might.”

“Belle's staying with my folks tonight. She doesn't want to be alone, especially not in that house. Prince Bro will help distract her. I told them not to wait up.”

Killian's hand tightened on hers. “I think that with the day's tally complete, there's a good deal to celebrate.”

She smiled, felt a wave of shyness, and pressed her mouth to his in a slow, delicious promise to get rid of it. One of these days they ought to stop kissing in the middle of the street. Maybe.

“You know, we still haven't had that second date,” she said once she got her breath back.

“Send-off party for visitors from another land doesn't count?”

“You know what? It absolutely does. Let's go.”

He left his arm around her waist, warm and distracting. The walk back seemed longer than she remembered, but there were the steps to the B&B, the lighted windows downstairs, the desk now free of dust. Granny herself would still be at the diner at this hour; no one saw them go in. Not that it mattered how discreet they were; she felt certain that half the town would know by noon anyway. His was the room with the dormers, with the same horrible green and floral decorations the others had.

As soon as the door closed behind her, she pulled Killian toward her; he was already moving, backing her up against the worn wooden surface. She traced his lips with her tongue, slid her hands under his jacket, hummed at the feel of his hand in her hair—she loved that, the slight motion of his fingertips against her skin, his thumb massaging a pressure point. Emma felt boneless already, light-headed with wanting. She pulled his shirt free of his belt and found skin at last, warm and close, moving with his breath.

She ran her other hand down his left arm—hook before jacket, she had to assume, so as not to hurt the leather, but she had only ever touched it in the Enchanted Forest past, with a different him. She was not sure where the boundary lay. Killian went still for a moment; perhaps he didn't know, either. In the end he kissed her again while he reached across to take it off, and then set it on the chest of drawers next to the door.

She slipped the jacket down over his shoulders. “I may need to borrow this.”

He touched her collar. “You have a more than sufficient number of jackets without resorting to theft.”

“Not theft, borrowing. Lights?”

“Leave them, if you would.”

“Fine with me.” Emma felt a little shaky thrill that was not quite self-consciousness. She didn't have any hang-ups about her looks, but this was all so open, and nothing like anything she had ever had before. Perhaps she ought to be more afraid. She dropped her jacket on the table along with his and walked him back toward the bed. Why did it feel like they had waited forever for this, first date or no? Perhaps it had been forever. Time did strange things in this town.

He pulled; she pushed, took them both down with a sharp creak of bedsprings, mouths and legs locked in a greedy tangle. She tried to keep a hand free to deal with his clothes, but he kept distracting her. Getting _her_ shirt and bra off was only a moment's work. Killian mapped her with his lips, unhurried and curious. His mouth might have been made for this, for kisses rough and tender, playful and hungry by turns, for leaving a trail of tiny marks along her collarbone, teasing at her nipples until she lost all patience and turned, pinning him down so she could finish.

“Not that I don't like the look,” Emma said. “But allow me to introduce you to the pullover sometime.”

“Vulgar sort of apparel.” He curled up off the bed to chase her mouth with his.

“ _Stay_.” She pushed him back down and ignored his laugh. An industrious minute later she said, “That's better.”

The rest of their clothes had fewer buttons and were soon dispensed with. Killian was all edges under her curious hands. Years spent making himself into something to kill with had left muscle and bone, skin etched with scars and memories of the dead. She kept her eyes on his to make sure it was all right before she touched any of those, but she didn't want him to think she was afraid at this juncture. Far from it; she felt like a plant in the sun, emphatically alive, her own heart flung open to joy and fear, grief and wonder.

He drew her closer, encouraged her by touch. Emma felt like she was learning her own body all over again along with his, with every piece of armor that fell away. She kissed her way across his hip, memorized the geometry of his bones, and felt his breath quicken. He wasn't the only one who knew how to use his tongue to good effect. She kept it slow, wanting this to last, to see how close to the edge she could get him.

Killian drew her hand to his mouth and kissed it. “My turn?” That unsteady swoop to his voice, the promise in his gaze, turned up the heat inside her.

“Depends on what you have in mind.”

“Fair play, love. Relax.”

She tried; a unique apprehension attended a man going down on you for the first time. She might have guessed he would be careful and methodical in this as so much else. Lofty thoughts fled, shattered by new urgency. She did not want to wait longer; she didn't have to. There would be more of this, would be time. She was not used to any future promised, to beginnings that did not include their end.

Another night they might leave the room a wreck and fall apart drenched and breathless. This day (and the night, and the day before it) had been too long for that. They fitted themselves to each other slowly (she curled her fingers hard in his hair and gasped). Emma moved just a little at first. His hand behind her neck pulled her open mouth down to his. She felt heat within and without, his other arm like a brand low across her back, the cool of the room's air above it. She closed her eyes, heard the slide of their bodies, a whispered guidance, a breathless laugh. They both tried to be quiet with indifferent success, push-pulling each other along the waves. I love you, she thought but didn't say, and let herself fall.

It really was quiet then, for a long time. Emma got her breath back and watched the smile play across his mouth for a while before she gave in.

“All right. What are you thinking about? At a time like this?”

“That first time we kissed.”

“Seriously?” She looked at Killian with suspicion, because _really?_

“Aye.”

That one-time thing lay a year and a half in the past now. “I guess we have kind of gone the long way around.”

“There were some headwinds to contend with.”

She finally asked, “Did you really think about me every day that year?”

“Swan, I don't think a waking hour has gone past since I met you that I didn't. A few slumbrous ones as well.”

Emma laughed. “Riiight. I bet some of them were not complimentary.”

“Perhaps a few early on. But even when you stood athwart my path with righteous if ill-wielded sword, I have never found you other than admirable.”

“I—ill-wielded?” She sat up in mock affront. The effect was a little spoiled given that he was still inside her; she drew a sharp breath at the sensation.

“You have many remarkable talents, love. Swordsmanship is simply one you've yet to develop.”

“Nice save. Remember that when I steal the quilt around two in the morning.”

“That, too? Is textile theft a habit I ought to be aware of?” He grinned up at her. “Perhaps I ought to contact law enforcement.”

“We have high standards for evidence here, you know.” Emma accepted that she was going to have to move, and shifted to lie next to him in comfortable quiet. The inn creaked and settled in the night air. As it was bound to do eventually, the day began catching up. She couldn't stop herself from putting her hand on his chest; he covered it with his own.

“I'll be all right, Swan.”

She shifted to look at him, surprised by his tone.

“I don't make that promise lightly. As bad days go, it could have been a good deal worse. A brilliant rescue.”

“Just glad it worked. I was... really, really unprepared.” She grimaced.

“To take on the Dark One? You did very well, trust me.”

“Yeah, well.” She tucked her hair back with a shrug. “Either one of us needs a real place to stay, or I need to learn that 'poof yourself' spell pronto. The walk of shame is going to get old fast in a town this size.”

“I'm sure we'll find a solution soon enough.”

“Optimist.”

  
  


Emma woke in the realization that she already knew his scent, found his presence so familiar that even though she could not remember the last time she had slept the night in someone else's bed, she had no impulse to move. She felt warm and deliciously satiated.

Magic comes with a price; she should not use it to summon coffee, even if it would make everything absolutely perfect.

“Awake already?” Killian brushed her hair aside and kissed the nape of her neck.

“Mmm. 'Parently.” She turned over. “I love you.” She had the pleasure of watching his expression go through four different kinds of astonished before he settled on a smile.

### 23\. Diner/Secret Room (Minor Changes)

Emma paused inside the diner. Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all. But they hadn't actually exchanged a word since the Shattered Sight... event, and it might be better to break that before things got too weird.

Regina looked at her coffee cup as Emma sat down beside her. “I'm not in the mood for a hope speech, Emma.”

Emma kept her voice brisk. “You're mistaking me for my mother. Besides, you don't need a speech, you need a drinking buddy. Shots?”

Regina looked surprised, but shrugged. “Sure, why not.”

Emma signaled for two drinks. “You know, you did the right thing yesterday.”

“And there it is, a hope speech.” She shook her head. “I thought we were drinking.”

“It's not a speech, it's a compliment.”

“Well, I don't need your validation. I know I did the right thing. I know because I'm miserable—again.”

And some people call me prickly. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, so is Gold.” If she ever saw him again, he was going to be a lot worse than miserable. Her nuclear fury of the previous day had collapsed in on itself like a sun; it would stay there for a long while. Their shots arrived.

“It does,” Regina decided. They clinked glasses just as Henry burst in through the door.

“Whoa, kid, slow down,” Emma said.

“Mom! And mom! I found something big!” He looked at Regina, grinning. “You're gonna want to see this. I went back up to the house with—with your dad today,” he told Emma. The word “grandpa” might be a little difficult for a while, given its new human sacrifice connotation. “And we were looking around—I mean, the place is huge, and there was a _portal t o Arendelle_ there, there might be _anything_ in there, and—you have to come and see this.” He dragged Emma off her stool. “Both of you.”

“Okay, okay.” She gave Regina a puzzled look and got a shrug back. The three of them piled into the bug and followed David's truck up to the house.

“I'll let Henry do the honors,” her father said, standing back. “Kid's got a knack for finding secret doors.” He glanced at Regina, who ignored the remark. Henry led them down a hall to a dead end and pulled on a lamp sconce. The wall pivoted, revealing a hidden room.

A _huge_ room, two stories with a mezzanine, its gorgeous wooden walls lined with books, ladders propped against the walls. An empty table, an array of comfortable chairs, and a glass display cabinet filled the center.

“A library,” Regina said.

“Not just any library. Look.” Henry grinned and pulled a volume from the shelf.

“That looks like your book,” Emma said.

“Only it's blank. They all are.” He went on as Regina leafed through the empty book. “And if this place is full of potential storybooks....”

“Then maybe this is the author's house.” She outright grinned. “Henry, you did it!” She pulled him into a hug.

“Did what?” Emma asked. “What's going on?”

“Well, uh, we were looking for the author,” Regina said as she drew back. She looked at the ground, then raised her chin. “I was hoping he could write me a happier story.”

Either that was sweet, or the most pathetic thing Emma had ever heard.

“We called that Operation Mongoose,” Henry said.

Go with sweet. She clapped him on the shoulder. “I like it; it's got style. I'm in.”

“You are?” Regina gave her that look.

“I made you a promise I intend to keep. You deserve your happy ending.”

## Epilogue

### 24\. New York, 6 weeks later (Minor Changes)

He had found a cane. Even now, he had ways of finding things he needed. Today, that included a way into the back corridors of the aquarium. He threaded a path through alien equipment and bubbling tanks with their blue and green lights.

He found a woman feeding the inhabitants of the largest tank.

“All I got,” she told them. “You're not happy about it, try eating each other.”

“I hear cannibalism is quite common in the aquatic world,” he said. “Though perhaps you could tell me differently.”

She looked him up and down with scorn. “So this is what a man who always wins looks like.” An octopus oozed over to the side of the tank and spread itself against the glass, a slowly moving halo.

“I assure you, Ursula, my situation is only temporary.” Unlike his memory for insults.

“Really?” She laughed. “How you gonna fix that, play the Lotto?”

“I'd like to tell you a story. We... discussed a similar story once, a long time ago. It's about heroes and villains, where the villains always lose.” They had been on opposite sides that day, but times did change.

“Sounds like someone has changed his tune.”

“I've learned the rules do apply to me, but there's also someone who can change the rules.” And he would owe Regina, odd as that might seem at this late date, for that piece of information.

“Who?”

“For now, let's call him The Author.”

“Pretentious. I hate him already.”

“Then let's go see him. Tell him what we think. Unless you prefer life as a fish-food dispenser.”

“If you're coming to me for help, I assume it won't be easy. Who's standing in our way?”

“The usual people, the heroes. Let's get your things. We've two more stops to make.”


End file.
